Gas turbine engines on aircraft use the discharge force of gases for the thrust to drive the aircraft. Braking forces may be obtained after landing or during flight by reversing the direction of discharge.
Reverse thrust discharge involves a blockage of the rearward flow path plus transfer of the axial gas flow to a radial flow. The radial flow has a forward component producing the reverse thrust.
Various linkages and apparatus have been suggested to close the discharge, sometimes combined with the radial discharge. These generally have been relatively heavy. They have required linear actuation in locations tending to interfere with adjacent nozzle components.
Whatever structure is used to close the rear discharge, there is a need for a compact, simply actuatable, lightweight apparatus for closing and opening the radial reverser flow paths.